All Which It Inherit by Brandon D. Ray (NC-17)

[maidenjedi]

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: It's no longer available, but Brandon's stories are archived at Gossamer.
Why this must be read:

Colonization stories are usually the most complicated X-Files stories you'll find. The writer has to account for Chris Carter's convoluted mytharc, and depending on when the story was written, a cast of thousands incorporated. Apocalypse threatened weekly on Buffy, but on The X-Files it was always at least a season or two away, so for a colonization story to stand the test of time it has to have the basic ingredients and some ingenuity to boot.

Brandon D. Ray's "All Which It Inherit" comes in three installments, each of which could be read as a standalone, but which work even better when read together. It begins just after season seven's "Hollywood A.D." and wraps up enough mytharc canon into one package to make the show's paltry attempts seem even paler by comparison. Best of all, though, is the Mulder/Scully dynamic. I first discovered his work when I was a flush XF newbie, and when reading stories like this it's hard not to become a Mulder/Scully "shipper."



"I'm sorry about ... about this," she said, staring straight
ahead through the windshield, her voice deceptively calm.
She sounded as if she were apologizing for a forgotten lunch
date or something. "I know this was supposed to be a fun
trip, a way for us to spend time together, and I --"

"Scully," he said, finally realizing where she was going
with this. "Scully, don't. None of this is your fault.
And even if it were --"

"Mulder --"

"Even if it were," he repeated, raising his voice and
overriding her, "that doesn't mean you did anything wrong.
Christ, Scully, you followed me around for seven years,
dropping everything on a moment's notice so you could help
me look for Samantha. I don't think it's unreasonable that
we devote a little time and energy to *your* concerns for a
change."



It came down the grapevine late last week that Brandon Ray passed away. I didn't know him beyond some brief email exchanges over feedback and what have you, but I'm assured he was a good man and I already knew he was a great writer. I'm reccing "All Which It Inherit" today, but I encourage you to read some more of his work.

All Which It Inherit 1: Insubstantial Pageant
All Which It Inherit 2: Melted Into Air (Part One) | (Part Two)
All Which It Inherit 3: Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

Comments

[nbjelica.livejournal.com]

thank you for reccing this! i'd been looking for brandon ray's stories for a long time, but i could never remember his name. a long time ago i had a friend who was quite unconvinceable that fanfic had any redeeming entertainment value, and i actually sent him to read a story by brandon ray (who was at the time one of my favorite writers in the x-files fandom) to show him he was wrong -- and he ended up admitting he'd enjoyed the story despite himself. over time i fell out of xf and lost the saved stories and bookmarks, and relatively recently started to get back into it, and it was really bugging me that i couldn't remember who "that one guy" was. every once in a while i stick my head into atxf and see who's still around that i remember...i'm sad to hear he's passed away.

but, for what it's worth -- thanks for posting this. i'm very grateful to have his stories back to read and enjoy again!

[luthorienne.livejournal.com]

I'm very sad to hear of Brandon's passing. His stories provided me with many hours of entertainment; and I always found him a witty and insightful correspondent. He will be very much missed.